A Walk in the Park

We have had some unseasonably warm weather in London this Spring and have enjoyed every minute of it. Regent's Park has become our favorite place to be ... along with the rest of London! The other weekend every part of the park was packed with people having a picnic, playing sports, or just taking a walk. It is so nice to have the park just around the corner. We love it!

Siena wearing her first short set given to her by Matty's parents. Thanks Ramon and Matilde!

How cute is that?! My mom gave her those pink high tops and they went perfect with her outfit. Oscar said she was dressed appropriately with her sports wear to go to the park :)

Having my first ice cream cone of the season in Regent's Park. It was carmel flavored called "Hokey Pokey" - so yummy!

Tea Party

I hosted afternoon tea the other day so a few of my friends could meet Siena. We had so much fun! I made egg salad finger sandwiches, tuna salad brioche, and ham with cream cheese and salsa tortilla wraps. They were followed by homemade crumb cake and a plate of tea cookies and chocolates and, of course, plenty of tea!

I don't have any of my tea party "play things" here, like my three tier server or my cake stand so I had to make do with what I had. I didn't even have tea cups so I popped over to the store on the corner and picked these up for 1.50 each :) They will hold me over until I get my real tea set. (That is going to be my big souvenir from London before we leave. I haven't found "the one" just yet.)

I have been so blessed with very good friends here. All of which have babies of their own :) They have been a huge help getting me ready for motherhood and supporting me through the first days of being a new mom. I have loved watching their little ones grow and can't believe how big they are already. Pretty soon I will be saying the same about Siena :)

Baby Nicolas (about 7 months), Baby Thomas (about 5 months), Baby Siena (almost 4 weeks). Baby Alex (about 13 months) stayed at home with grandma so mommy Maria Jose could have some time off :)

All partied out!

Monkey See, Monkey Do

This is too funny! Oscar has found an entertaining game to play with Siena. He learned that if he sticks his tounge out at her, she will imitate him and do the same. Babies are very clever! They can go back and forth for a while before either of them gets bored. It is really cute :) You may not be able to tell in the picture but Siena can stick her tounge out pretty far!

Esto es super gracioso. Oscar ha encontrado un juego divertido con Siena. El se dio cuenta de que si el le saca la lengua, ella hara lo mismo. Los bebes son muy inteligentes! Ellos pueden jugar asi durante un buen rato antes de que ninguno de los dos se aburren. Es monisimo. Lo mismo no se ve bien en la foto pero Siena puede sacar su lengua bastante lejos!

This is the life!

I'm just relaxing and hanging out with mommy today. I had a really good night's rest and only got up once at 3am to feed. A half hour later, I was already back in bed and fast asleep. Mommy was so proud of me! I must've been worn out from yesterday's trip to the grocery store and walk in the park.

I am taking my morning snooze now but pretty soon I will be up and ready to feed again. It is another nice Spring day in London so we are going to head out to run some errands before the Health Visitor comes this afternoon to check on me. I have to say things are going pretty well for me :)

PS - My outfit says "Thank Heaven for Little Girls". Isn't that the truth! :)

2PS - I laughed today during my morning feeding. Not a gas bubble smile but a true laugh from the belly. I know you think it is too early for this but it's true. I actually did it for the first time the second week I was born - my mom and grandmother couldn't believe it. I'm just a happy baby, I guess :)

Prenatal Yoga

I was a dedicated prenatal yoga student. (I highly recommend it!) I went once a week to a class hosted at a nearby private hospital, The Portland Hospital. I loved my instructor. She was American but has lived in Europe for most of the second half of her life. Before becoming a yoga instructor, she was a labor and delivery nurse in the U.S.

I had the honor and privilege to particpate in a marketing photo shoot for the upcoming brochure for the hospital to advertise their prenatal yoga classes. I don't know if they will actually use any of the pictures of me for the brochure but it was still fun to do. And, I have a great souvenir of my pregnancy!

Siena and me at 34 weeks.

Up Close and Personal

After two weeks of making her debut, Siena Munoz has caught the eye and hearts of everyone she meets. In such a short time, she has already made an impact on the paparrazi (i.e. Oscar) and loves to have her picture taken. Many have seen her in pictures and some have even met her in person; but most have not. So we took a few minutes to sit down with Siena in her London flat to see what she thinks of the outside world.

Name: Siena Munoz
Age: 17 days
Profession: Full time baby, part time entertainer

So what do you think of the outside world?
Well, I'm not going to lie to you. At first, I wasn't too impressed and I did what I could to get back in my warm, cozy quarters. I would curl up on my mom's chest and assume the fetal position but there was no way of making my way back inside. I tried sleeping all day and staying up all night to break the parents but they were tough and just loved on me anyway. After a couple of weeks, I have to say that I am taking a liking to this new world and think I will stay around.

What does a typcial day look like for you?
I am going through a growth spurt so I have started feeding every three hours. Sometimes every two. Feeds, diaper changes, and naps, pretty much make up my day. I love it when my daddy comes home and plays with me. He is really funny and lets me stay up as late as I want with him.

You are looking quite healthy these days with those nice chubby cheeks and rolls around your arms and legs. What is your excercise secret?
My mom is really good at getting me out for walks in my pram. We have a couple of routes that we take through Regent's Park. They also got me some in-home excercise equipment - a play mat and a swing - but I get bored pretty fast on them. I lasted almost ten minutes on the swing yesterday so I guess I am making progress. Just staying awake between feeds is a workout enough for me.

Any nicknames yet?
Yes, my mom likes to call me "Squeakers". It turns out that I make some pretty funny noises when I sleep. Most of them she likes but she doesn't like it when I make grunting noises.

Favorite foods?
I am on a liquid diet - just milk. I like long, leisurely meals so I spread out my feeds over at least an hour even though I may only get a good 15-20 minutes of feeding. Sometimes I doze off in between courses, but I look so cute that my mom can't get impatient with me.

Now for the lightening round:

Best diaper changer: Daddy
Best burper: Grandma
Best feeder: Mommy
Favorite place to be: Curled up on anyone's chest
Favorite colors: Pink and brown (that's all I have!)

Siena resides with her parents in London. She will be doing a world tour this summer, starting with Madrid in May and heading to Texas in June. She is definitely going places!

A Royal Surprise

Today, Siena and I went out for a nice walk through Regent's Park on this lovely Spring day. We were going about our normal route when we heard the click-clacking of horse shoes. We looked beyond the cricket fields and, to our surprise, we saw the Royal Horse Guards.

We diverted from our regular route to get a closer look. But just as we turned left, they turned right and ended up where we began! They stopped right on the broadway path and we were able to make it back towards them to get a good picture. It was so neat to see them up close :)

Flying Solo

On Saturday before we went out to lunch with my parents. She is wearing an adorable dress that my sister-in-law, Matty's, parents gave her. We had a nice spring day and had to take advantage of the warmer weather to wear spring clothes! (Her tights are way too big - I know! It was still too cool to go bare.)

Oscar has already been back to work for a week and my parents left yesterday. So that means that I am flying solo today for the first time. We got off to a rough start because Siena decided she wanted to feed several times during the night and not go back to sleep after her morning feed. She finally fell asleep and I was able to work in a 20 minute power nap.

Then, I got up, had breakfast, and got dressed. I was sure she was going to be up soon for a feed. But no. She kept sleeping. So instead of going back to sleep I took advantage of the extra time to throw in some laundry and pick up around the house. Around 11am, she started to stir and it was the perfect time to feed her; so I did. About an hour - and three diaper changes (this girl likes to dirty her diaper as you change it!) - later, we were off to the grocery store. She fell asleep in the pram on the way there and slept the whole time we were out, which worked out nicely for me. I was able to get the essentials to hold us over for the week and we both got some fresh air.

I unloaded the groceries and had some lunch. I thought about taking another quick nap but I know she will want to feed very soon. So I am distracting myself online to keep me up. The clouds have rolled in so I don't know if we will get out for a walk later today. Maybe I can catch some shut-eye later this afternoon.

All in all, it has been a good day. I miss my parents already and wish they could've stayed longer. Luckily, we are going home in June and I know it will be here before we know it. For now, I am enjoying this special alone time to get to know her - and fall more in love with her - each day.

Happy Easter!

Siena's first big outing was to church for Easter Mass. She was very good and made it through the entire Mass. She even got showered with Holy Water and a blessing from the priest at communion.

Her Aunt Angela got her an adorable Easter dress - a yellow flower sundress with a matching crop cardigan - but it was too cold to wear it. I am sure she will good get use out of it this summer when we go home to Texas. She ended up wearing a sweet pink corduroy dress. It was for 0-3 months but was way too big on her. We put tights on her, too, since it was cold and they were too long. They hung out the bottom with no feet inside. Pretty funny to look at.

What fit her best was a sweater that my mother knit for her. When my mom came, she surprised us with a sweater and matching bonnet, booties, and blanket. (She is still working on the blanket.) It was the most special gift. I couldn't believe how great they turned out. She did such a good job.

After Mass, we had roast pork that Oscar had picked up at a local farmer's market, which was delicious. I thought it was so special that Siena was born so close to Easter and was overjoyed that we were able to make it to Mass.

Her Easter outfit. This bonnet is not the one my mom knit but a corduroy one she got for her.

The happy family.

Welcome Siena Munoz!

Sunday, March 28, 2010 at 3:48 pm
7 lbs 8.51 oz (3.340 kg)
20.5 inches (52 cm)